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In 1947, fruit flies were launched into Earth’s orbit, giving birth to the field of space biology. Seeds and animals quickly followed, and 1982 saw the first plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, grown in space. In 2015, NASA astronauts consumed space-grown crops for the first time. Since, experiments have taken place on the International Space Station and on CubeSats which aim to reveal the roles of gravity within fundamental biological processes here on Earth. Additionally, these experiments explore how best to leverage the benefits of many of these organisms as we embark on one of humanity’s next great steps—visiting and settling on the Moon and Mars. Plans are underway to build long-term bases on each, and Bioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSS) will be crucial to the sustainability and success of these settlements. Built using biological and ecological approaches, BLSS will facilitate effective resource management, improve mission security, reduce costs, and limit the environmental impact of these settlements both on-site and on our own planet. Considerable thought has been spent on the roles various photosynthetic microorganisms and plants can play in BLSS. Here, we explore how macroalgae could contribute to BLSS and how biology will fuel the next great leap.

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Algae at the Final Frontier: A Review of the Potential Applications of Macroalgae in Space

  • 章节

  • 发表日期：

    2026年

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  • Haley K. Murphy,
  • Jessica Carneiro,
  • Frances Edmonson,
  • Trenton P. Causey,
  • Steven G. Elsaid,
  • Rafael Loureiro,
  • Andrew G. Palmer

摘要

In 1947, fruit flies were launched into Earth’s orbit, giving birth to the field of space biology. Seeds and animals quickly followed, and 1982 saw the first plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, grown in space. In 2015, NASA astronauts consumed space-grown crops for the first time. Since, experiments have taken place on the International Space Station and on CubeSats which aim to reveal the roles of gravity within fundamental biological processes here on Earth. Additionally, these experiments explore how best to leverage the benefits of many of these organisms as we embark on one of humanity’s next great steps—visiting and settling on the Moon and Mars. Plans are underway to build long-term bases on each, and Bioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSS) will be crucial to the sustainability and success of these settlements. Built using biological and ecological approaches, BLSS will facilitate effective resource management, improve mission security, reduce costs, and limit the environmental impact of these settlements both on-site and on our own planet. Considerable thought has been spent on the roles various photosynthetic microorganisms and plants can play in BLSS. Here, we explore how macroalgae could contribute to BLSS and how biology will fuel the next great leap.